Ultimate Steel Straight Man

"How is it, Old Li? This poem is pretty good, right?"

Wang Weimin was on the phone, his hearty laughter echoing from the president's office at Jinling University.

"This, this..."

"Old Wang, you old rascal, I know you. This poem definitely wasn't written by you. Is this the kind of poem you could write? Tell me, where did you find this hidden gem from an ancient text?"

The middle-aged man on the other end, addressed as Old Li, was shocked the moment he saw the poem Lovesickness. He thought Old Wang had secretly studied up and written such a timeless piece.

But then he reconsidered; even if he studied for a hundred years, he couldn't write such a poem.

He must have found it in some ancient text. Even he had to admit this poem was exceptionally well-written.

As the president of the Huaxia Poetry Association's Guangfu Competition Area, he was a professional. He also enjoyed composing poems in his spare time, occasionally producing masterpieces.

However, he was certain that no matter what, he could not have written a poem like this.

Even though this was just a five-character quatrain and appeared incredibly simple, it was actually the highest realm of object-impersonation poetry, where one sees an object and thinks of a person, using the object to convey emotions.

"Haha, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you, but this was written by a young man in his twenties."

"Wang Weimin, you're talking nonsense! Even if you don't want to lend me your ancient rare book to look at, you don't have to lie to me like this."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuexin became furious and said to Wang Weimin.

"Hey, hey, getting worked up, are we? Why are you so anxious? I'm telling you, Old Li, you know me."

"I, Wang Weimin, don't lie. This poem will also be participating in your Guangfu Poetry Competition this year. You'll probably see the submitted entries tomorrow."

"Really?"

Li Xuexin still had his doubts. Could a poem like this really be written by someone in their early twenties?

This was too unbelievable. Had his own life been wasted all these years?

"That's not right. I haven't even seen this poem yet, so how did you, Wang Weimin, see it first? Even if you're a judge, you should only see it after it passes the initial review, right?"

"Haha, I helped submit this poem. This young man has a connection with me, you wouldn't know that, would you?"

Wang Weimin felt incredibly pleased. This young man might very well be his future son-in-law. If he could write poems that Wang Weimin couldn't, and it was written by his son-in-law, then by extension, it was as good as written by him.

"If that's really the case, then there's no suspense for the champion of this year's Guangfu Competition Area Poetry Competition."

Li Xuexin sighed with emotion.

"Where did you find this young man? Let me meet him sometime. A young person like this is truly extraordinary. In all the years the Huaxia Poetry Competition has been held, this Lovesickness can be considered a standout."

"How I met him, that's none of your business. This kid is someone who dislikes trouble. We'll talk about it later. I called you today just to brag, hahahaha."

Wang Weimin's hearty laughter came through the phone, leaving Li Xuexin with a dark expression before he hung up.

Wang Weimin didn't mind that the call was hung up. After thinking for a moment, he picked up his phone again and made another call, this time to Wang Siyi.

Wang Siyi saw that the caller ID showed her father's name and hesitated, but eventually answered. She put the phone to her ear but remained silent.

"Siyi, you're finally talking to your dad!"

Wang Weimin said joyfully. But Wang Siyi still didn't speak, mostly because she didn't know what to say.

"Siyi, I heard you're in Shanghai now?"

"Mm."

"Can you come home for a visit sometime? Your mother hasn't seen you in a long time."

Wang Siyi's mind conjured up her mother's face. It had indeed been a long time since she had seen her.

Although every meeting with her mother in recent years had ended in unpleasantness, she still missed her a little.

After a moment's hesitation, she finally said:

"I'm about to release a new album, so I'm quite busy. I'll let you know when I have time."

"Okay, okay, then remember to tell me in advance when you come back!"

Wang Weimin was already very happy. He knew that if Wang Siyi didn't refuse, it meant she agreed. Although she wasn't coming back immediately, at least there was something to look forward to.

This time, when he brought his daughter back, he had to find a way to get his wife and daughter to talk things out.

Between a mother and daughter, what kind of conflict couldn't be resolved? It was all about effort.

"Okay, Dad, I have something else to do, I'll hang up now."

The entire call lasted less than three minutes, but Wang Siyi felt a little nervous after hanging up.

She didn't know what to say. She had become much more distant from her parents these past few years.

Wang Weimin, however, didn't care about the call duration. He was happy that his daughter answered the phone and called him Dad.

He used to get stuck in his own head. If his daughter wanted to do something, as long as it wasn't harmful, why not support her?

Chen Baozhu returned from outside and saw Wang Siyi. She quickly said joyfully:

"Wanjun, I've sorted things out with the company. The album will be released in a week. You need to rest well during this time. Once the new album is released, you'll have to start doing promotions, and you won't have as much time to rest."

"Also, remember to practice the song Red Bean more, you'll likely have to perform it on stage. And you'll need to be on stage for the premiere of Huang Wenchuan's new movie. Take good care of your voice during this period."

"Okay, Sister Baozhu, thank you for your hard work during this time."

Wang Siyi was also very happy. No one was happier than her that her new album could be released. She also knew that Chen Baozhu's efforts were the reason the new album could be arranged so early.

"Hey, isn't this what I should be doing? A manager's job is to work like a horse or a cow."

Chen Baozhu waved her hand, indicating that this was her duty. Wang Siyi was good in every way, but she was just too polite.

Wang Siyi clearly wanted to share this joy with Li Changle.

"My new album is coming out in a week."

Then she sent an emoji.

"Then I wish your new album great success in advance."

Li Changle didn't feel much. He didn't really care about the situation of Wang Siyi's new album. Of course, it would be best if it became popular.

He remembered that even when she was drunk, she was still thinking about becoming a diva. It seemed this was quite important to her.

"Thank you for the song you wrote, I like it very much."

"Isn't this what I should be doing? I already said that song is my rent for living here."

"Then will you live there forever and write songs for me forever?"

Wang Siyi's courage gradually grew. After all, she wasn't saying these shy words face-to-face. Chatting on WeChat always gave people infinite courage.

She was now the big star Wang Wanjun, and the one saying this was Wang Siyi. What did it have to do with her, Wang Wanjun?

Li Changle looked at the message Wang Siyi sent, his scalp tingling. He didn't know how to reply, so he could only grit his teeth and type.

"Uh, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"You can't possibly sing forever, can you? No way, no way?"

Wang Siyi put down her phone expressionlessly, deciding not to bother with this idiot anymore. She was just looking for trouble. She was so happy today, why did she have to chat with him?

Li Changle waited for more than half an hour and didn't see a reply from Wang Siyi. He immediately thought she must be busy, so he didn't pay it any mind and continued writing.

But by the evening, Li Changle realized Wang Siyi still hadn't replied, and he felt something was wrong.

Oh no, could this woman be angry? He picked up his phone and looked at the chat history.

He didn't seem to have said anything wrong. Women are so strange, getting angry over nothing.

He didn't know what to say, and he couldn't directly ask if she was angry. So, he just sent an emoji.

Wang Siyi looked at the emoji in the chat box. It was a dog shaking its head frantically.

She was still a little angry and didn't want to talk to him, so she put down her phone and continued eating.

Xiuxiu, who was beside her, saw Wang Siyi's actions and thought to herself.

Sister Wanjun is amazing. In just two days, she's learned on her own how to completely control Li Changle.

"Sister Wanjun, aren't you going to reply to him?"

Xiuxiu was clearly very concerned about Wang Siyi's relationship issues, and Wang Siyi didn't intend to hide it from her.

She even sometimes asked Xiuxiu to analyze the problems between her and Li Changle, so she didn't hide anything from Xiuxiu and told her the whole story.

"This guy is an idiot, I don't want to talk to him!"

Wang Siyi said indignantly, clearly still upset.

Xiuxiu was stunned. Could a guy really be this oblivious? He really didn't know Sister Wanjun liked him. Xiuxiu helplessly put her forehead in her hand.

She suddenly felt that Wang Siyi's path to love might not be so smooth.

"Then are you going to ignore him forever? What if he really never contacts you again, Sister Wanjun?"

Xiuxiu said hesitantly. She suddenly felt that her previous "one-month observation method" wasn't applicable to Wang Siyi and Li Changle.

That was for normal people. She felt Li Changle didn't seem very normal. He was the ultimate "steel straight man."

"I-I don't know either, but what he says is so infuriating, I don't want to talk to him."

Wang Siyi said, a little dejected.

Unable to figure anything out, Wang Siyi decided to stop thinking about it and went back to her room to rest. She was a bit tired today.

But lying in bed, she tossed and turned until midnight and still couldn't sleep.

So, she took out her phone and looked at the WeChat chat history. It was still stuck on the emoji Li Changle had sent.

Her face showed a slight daze. After thinking for a long time, she decided to send a message.

"If I were to sing for a lifetime, would you be willing to write songs for me for a lifetime?"

Just dozens of seconds after sending it, she felt she was a bit hasty and quickly recalled the message.

But as soon as she recalled it, Li Changle replied with a message, just one word:

"Okay"

Li Changle was also tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. He wanted to talk to Wang Siyi, but he didn't know what to say.

Besides sending an emoji, he had nothing else to send. But if he sent an emoji, Wang Siyi probably wouldn't reply.

Li Changle, who was struggling with whether to message Wang Siyi, saw his phone light up.

Then he saw the message from Wang Siyi and, without thinking, simply replied "Okay."

As soon as his message was sent, Wang Siyi withdrew hers.

What was this woman up to? But it didn't matter. He sent her a sticker of himself seeing her withdrawal, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.

"I'm going to sleep, goodnight."

Wang Siyi offered no explanation for withdrawing her message, nor did she reply to Li Changle's "Okay." She just said she was tired and going to sleep.

Li Changle had no choice. He sent a "Goodnight" and put down his phone.

Wang Siyi lay in bed, a smile on her face, hugging her phone to her chest with both hands. Her eyes were tightly shut. She held this pose for a minute before putting the phone down and preparing to sleep.

Wang Siyi, with her eyes closed, fell asleep quickly. She didn't even realize she was smiling as she drifted into dreamland.

Li Changle looked at his phone and shook his head. He also felt a bit sleepy. With a smile on his face, he too began to fall into a deep sleep.

The next day, Li Changle got up as usual and picked up his phone. He sent Wang Siyi a "Good morning," as he had promised her.

The first thing he did upon waking was update The Legend of the Condor Heroes. After directly publishing the second chapter, "The Seven Heroes of the South," he ignored the comment section.

He went to wash up, then started making breakfast. Although his motivation to cook was low with Wang Siyi not around, eating too much takeout wasn't good either. Li Changle decided to rekindle his passion for cooking and begin a leisurely day.

Wang Siyi had already woken up early. As a singer, warming up her voice in the morning was essential. Especially since she hadn't performed live in a while, she had to practice daily to maintain her vocal skills.

After warming up her voice, Wang Siyi went to the piano. She suddenly felt like singing "Red Bean" for Li Changle.

She found the sheet music for "Red Bean," placed it in front of the piano, then opened her phone to record and began to sing softly.

"Haven't had time to truly feel..."

After recording, Wang Siyi's lips curved slightly. She increasingly felt that the song "Red Bean" was written by Li Changle for her. To say it was already in his mind was a lie, she scoffed.

She sent the piano accompaniment version of "Red Bean" to Li Changle and left the practice room, planning to go eat breakfast.

Li Changle saw that Wang Siyi had sent him a file. At first, he found it a bit baffling.

But when he opened it, he discovered it was a music file. Upon clicking play, a gentle piano intro filled the air.

Then came Wang Siyi's clear, ethereal voice, tinged with a hint of sweetness, singing perfectly.

Li Changle listened once, then played it again. He decisively set this version of "Red Bean" as his ringtone.

Wang Siyi's singing was truly beautiful, not inferior to Miss Wang's at all.

"It sounds great, I really like it."

After listening twice, Li Changle realized he hadn't replied to Wang Siyi. He quickly sent a message.

Wang Siyi, eating breakfast, looked at her phone. Seeing Li Changle's comment that he really liked the song made her feel as if the bowl of plain congee in front of her had been sweetened with sugar.

Thank you to Lonely Cold Window Snow for the tip, thank you~

A daily rant: This chapter was deleted and revised, revised and deleted again. I felt something was off no matter what. This published version is what I'm most satisfied with, but it still seems average. I was stuck writing this part, my state wasn't good, but it gets much better later, so don't worry.

You might not believe me, but my drafts are already enough for me to go premium. However, I haven't received any recommendations. Can you believe I've only gotten one recommendation after writing 130,000 words?

The number of collections for this book is pitifully low. Going premium will only result in failure. Therefore, I have to ask all the readers who like this book to keep reading and voting. This is very important and directly affects the book's future recommendation slots.

Once it goes premium, I might not be able to update 10,000 words daily, but for the first ten to fifteen days after going premium, I can definitely update 10,000 words a day.

If this book does well, you all will enjoy reading it more. So I'm begging you! Please cast your votes if you have any, no matter what kind of vote! Thank you~